GET TO KNOW AN IGNATZ NOMINEE
Trashed by Derf Backderf (nominated for outstanding graphic novel)
Every week we pile our garbage on the curb and it disappears-like magic! The reality is anything but, of course. Trashed, Derf Backderf’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed, award-winning international bestseller My Friend Dahmer, is an ode to the crap job of all crap jobs-garbage collector. Anyone who has ever been trapped in a soul-sucking gig will relate to this tale. Trashed follows the raucous escapades of three 20-something friends as they clean the streets of pile after pile of stinking garbage, while battling annoying small-town bureaucrats, bizarre townfolk, sweltering summer heat, and frigid winter storms. Trashed is fiction, but is inspired by Derf’s own experiences as a garbageman. Interspersed are nonfiction pages that detail what our garbage is and where it goes. The answers will stun you.
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The winners of the 2016 Ignatz Awards will be announced at @spx this weekend!
A comiXologist recommends:
Rutabaga: The Adventure Chef Vol. 1
by: Hanni Brosh
You’ve been there before: you’re slogging your way through a soupy swamp, or leading your party into the depths of a mushroom-infested dungeon, and at every exotic plant or gelatinous monster you come across, you wonder - could I eat that? Rutabaga the Adventure Chef has been there too, and back! This stout fellow ventures across the land seeking the most rare and magical ingredients to add to his pantry, with a portable kitchen strapped to his back and an enchanted pot following along.
Originally published online and in black and white minicomics by Eric Colossal, this volume brings Rutabaga’s first four stories to the table in full color. His refined palette leads him from the mouth of a dragon’s lair to a king’s dungeon to a back-alley adventurers’ lodge, and he finds himself up against some of the toughest foes he’s ever faced - picky eaters and bad cooking! The real stars of the show are Ru’s recipes, featuring the choicest cuts of monster meat and drawn step by mouthwatering step. Colossal clearly had a lot of fun whipping up ways for Rutabaga to chef his way in and out of trouble, and there’s nothing he encounters that can’t be fixed with a hearty home-cooked meal.
Rutabaga’s world is a delight to explore, full of bright characters that will make you chuckle, work up your appetite, and maybe even move you to tears. Food is a universal language no matter where you travel, and Rutabaga can be enjoyed by readers of any age and warriors of any level. Happy eatings!
[Read Rutabaga: The Adventure Chef Vol. 1 on comiXology]
Hanni Brosh is a Digital Editor. She grinds potatoes for EXP.
Le Nouveau Monde
Take a walk up Rue Herge, named after the legendary creator of Tintin (a lot of the streets here are named after famous cartoonists) past the fortress like Circuit des Remparts, and you will come upon a tent dubbed Le Nouveau Monde or The New World.
Go through your thousandth security check of the day and step inside. Let the softly backlit pink walls of the tent calm you, weary traveler. You’re in a good place now. You’re in Le Nouveau Monde, where the future lies.
If I had to compare Le Nouveau Monde to anything in America, it would be The Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD. This is were niche and alternative comics thrive. Walking down the hall I was able to spy a number of comics in french that we have available in the US through places like Fantagraphics and Abrams. Angoulême is like US conventions in reverse, where the superhero stuff seemed to get only a passing interest, the booths here were mobbed by fans of all demographics.
A few familiar faces were to be seen in this pink tent of awesomeness, like author of My Friend Dahmer, Derf Backderf, and the delightfully charming Ulli Lust. Both were busy signing and sketching.
That is another thing that is almost unbelievably cool about Angoulême: Signings here are much more casual, and it is not out of the ordinary for creators to draw fully colored or inked sketches when they sign your book for no extra cost.
I swear that the engineers who put these tents together for this festival must be Gallifreyan, because while it felt like I could walk around the exterior in just a minute, I was in awe of the the labyrinthian sprawl that was on the inside. It seemed that Le Nouveau Monde consisted of three magical halls, each a subtly different shade of reddish pink. It’s a must see for any one visiting the festival, but a vital necessity if you are a fan of indie comics, which if the name of this hall rings true is the future of comics to come.
I spent so much time in this hall it was dark when I came out, which was kind of nice. It’s really an incredible little town.
comiXology Unbound's #ComicsForYourKids
↳The Misadventures of Salem Hyde
Salem Hyde just isn’t like other kids. For one thing, she’s stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, she’s a witch. Salem acts first and thinks later-which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses!
Good thing she’s been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesn’t like Salem calling him “Whammy,” and Salem doesn’t like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldn’t do something … like enter the class spelling bee.
Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And there’s nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc!
[Read The Misadventures of Salem Hyde on comiXology]
#ComicsForYourKids: Every Thursday Evening comiXology Unbound suggests a great comics to read with your kid!
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↳Diary of a Wimpy Kid vol. 1 (via abramsbooks)
Volume 9 is up for pre-order, so we thought now would be a good time to go back to the beginning of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.
In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley’s star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend’s newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.
#ComicsForYourKids: Every Thursday Evening comiXology Unbound suggests a great comics to read with your kid!
Greg Heffley returns next week on 11/5/13 in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck!
Okay this intro video from Abrams Books Adventure Time Encyclopaedia panel at San Diego Comic-Con may be the coolest thing we’ve seen this week.
FINN THE HUMAN
Teeth: A few missing due to his imbecilic propensity to chew on rocks, tree trunks, and dead lizards.
Eyes: From a distance, dungeon black. Close-up, frozen-cow-udder blue. When he’s hypnotized, his left eye turns green, so don’t hypnotize him if crazy eyes freak you out.
Hair: Absurdly long and absurdly blonde. When he removes his hat with a flourish, his gender becomes an impenetrable mystery.
ATTENTION, GIANTS & FLESH-EATERS!
If you find Finn the Human, do not eat him! Remember, he might hold The Secret to Everything. Without him, you might end up a carcass that looks like Burnt Toast, the type you have to scrape with a knife. (Then again, Finn might know nothing–zero, zip, nada– and you’re out a nice meal. Tough bananas, O Giants.)
